LL-L "Idiomatica" 2002.10.01 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic
               V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Marco Evenhuis <evenhuis at zeelandnet.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2002.10.01 (03) [E]

denis dujardin wrote:

> Not to forget: in West-Flemish: "t'spuuwt
> kattejongen" (litt: "it is spitting kittens")
> meaning : "It's raining cats and dogs".

Time to spit out some expressions related to
cats in Zeelandic. At random, first a variation
on the one mentioned by Denis above:

*_de katten spiee_: litt. the cats are spitting; it's
going to rain
*_de katte kom op 't koord"_: the cat's coming
on the cord; it's getting tricky now
*_da za de katte 't 'aer uutgae_: it will come out
the cat's hair; it's going to be a close/near thing
*_da geeve ik an de katte_: that, I give to the cat;
I don't care about that
*_allez, de katte van de plaete_: come on, (send)
the cat of the fireplate; get out of the way
*_zò groôs as een katte die een daerm sleept_:
as proud as a cat dragging a bowel; very proud
*_e baemiskatte_: an 'autumn cat', litt. a very weak
cat, but also used in respect to weak children

A popular wisdom:

"Negen weken jaege,
negen weken draege,
negen weken blind,
da's de katte z'n kind."

(Nine weeks of hunting
nine weeks of carrying
nine weeks blind,
that's a cat's child)

Has anyone heard of an equivalent of the Zeelandic
_kattendans_ (fairy ring, Dutch: heksenkring), not
only in the meaning of fungi growing in a circle, but
also litterally a circle of dancing cats at night, putting
a spell on someone and thus both causing the circle
of fungi and putting the spell.
The 'Woordenboek der Zeeuwse Dialecten' mentions
a song:

"Hand in hand,
poôt in poôt,
Jan van Balen
z'n koeie is doôd"

(Hand in hand
paw in paw
Jan van Balen's
cow is dead)

Regards,

Marco

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From: Floor en Lyanne van Lamoen <f.v.lamoen at wxs.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2002.10.07 (04) [E]

Some more expressions about cats:

D: De kat in het donker knijpen
WF: De kat yn 't tjuster knipe
"To pinch a cat in the darkness"
Do something illegal.

D: Je moet de kat niet op het spek binden
"You should not tie the cat to the pork"
You should not lead somebody into temptation.

D: Zij heeft de kat aan de kaas laten komen
"She allowed the cat to the cheese"
She let herself make pregnant

D: Kat in't bakkie
"Cat in the [cat]box"
That was easy

WF: Eine as in kat op nútsdoppen
"Proceed as a cat on nutshells"
Proceed very slowly

WF: De kat sil net mei myn mage fuort gean
"The cat will not run away with my stomach"
I am hungry

Kind regards,
Groetjes,
Groetnis,
Floor.

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Idiomatica"

Here are some "cat" proverbs in Scots. I'm not good at
interpreting proverbs (most seem to have multiple meanings
to me and work best in some context), so I'll leave that
as an excercise to the reader!

A bawbee cat can leuk at a king.
"A halfpeny cat can look at a king"
(A cat may look at a queen)

A blate cat maks a prood moose.
"A shy cat makes a proud mouse"
(When the cat's away the mice will play)

Aa cats is grey in the dark.
"All cats are grey in the dark"

A scauded cat dreids cauld watter.
"A scalded cat dreads cold watter"
(Once bitten, twice shy)

He can haud the cat an play wi the kitten.
"He can hold the cat and play with the kitten"
(He can chew gum and walk at the same time (but perhaps not
 intended so sarcastically!))

He's unco fond o fermin that wad harrow wi the cat.
"He's remarkably fond of farming who would harrow with the cat"

The cat's oot o the pock.
"The cat's out of the bag"

Wha daur bell the cat?
"Who dares to bell the cat?"
(This refers to the well-known Scottish concept that if
 only one mouse were brave enough to put a bell round
 the cat's neck, they could all raid the pantry)

Ye glower like a cat oot o a whinbush.
"You glare like a cat from (gorse/broom)"

Ye wad clatter a cat tae daith.
"You would chatter the cat to death"
(You'd talk the hind legs off a donkey)

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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